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5/30/09

We've been on a summer margarita kick for the past couple weeks but this one is just too good and too popular of a drink to not include; Spiked Lemonade! Always a favorite for adults at backyard bbq's or poolside it's cold, refreshing and flavorful while providing a little 'kick'.

5/29/09

Well today we have another yummy 'summer' dessert bar but this one is a tiny bit healthier with egg substitute and low fat sour cream. Every little bit helps, right? I think lemon bars are perfect for a warm summer evening meal, a garden party or tea with a good friend. They've been made for the past 100 (200?) years and are a favorite of so many you absolutely must make them in one form or another! This one is for those of you who want to cut a few fat grams and calories where you can.

5/28/09

Reading through my emails I saw the latest e-newsletter from one of my favorite sites and a special section on great summer drinks. Since my husband and I rarely drink, when we entertain we are sadly naive when it comes to 'fun' drinks to serve. When I saw the name of this drink I had a brief second of "oh, ew? Really?" followed by interest and I admit, I'm intrigued! See if you are; Cucumber Margarita's.

I know!!!

Crazy isn't it? This one is from Coastal Living, back in September of 2005 but by golly I was surely going to copy it down to my collections to make this summer. What do you think?

5/26/09

Yesterday the USA celebrated Memorial Day and like many, I managed to get the day off from work as we were closed. My husband however was working, as was my son. My two daughters were both gone for the day. Me? I decided to tackle the personalized cookies I am making for my oldest daughter's High School Graduation Reception being held this weekend.

Always one to be frugal, I refused to spend upwards of $400 or more to order 150 - 200 pre-made, personalized cookies. I knew in my head what I wanted. I just had to find an affordable way to do it. Searching for affordable food-quality frosting images online I found the average cost for a sheet of 20 - 2" images, already cut into circles would run about $20-40. Even if I only ordered 140-160 cookie images it would be almost $300. Finally I tracked down an edible image printer that sold sheets of images uncut for about $6 per sheet.

On Friday I sat and carefully cut out 140 small circle images. Yesterday I whipped up a batch (ok, 4 batches) of one of my favorite non-spreading cookie dough recipes and baked about 175 cookies.

Using a simple but delicious glaze I dipped the tops and applied one of the edible images while it was still wet.

I found I could glaze about 8 cookies and quickly attach images before the glaze started to set up. Dipping about 6-8 at a time helped it go quickly.

In the end I had 140 personalized cookies. Since I had about 40 cookies left over I wished I had ordered a couple more sheets of images!!

If I had ordered these cookies made for me they averaged about $2.00 - $3.00 per cookie on the internet. By making them myself my only real investment was just over $50 for the images and the cost of a little flour, sugar and butter.

5/25/09

When I was a small child I sometimes played with a girl who lived about 3 blocks away from me named Jeanne. By the time were about 11 years old we drifted apart due to interests and our circle of friends but I have flashbacks of many memories at her house including learning a sing-song rhyme about bed bugs, playing Neil Diamond (her older teen brothers favorite) albums on her living room stereo and.... tomatillos. I distinctly remember walking down dirt aisles in their backyard garden and picking and later husking little tomatillos for her mother. My family didn't grow nor eat them but they were the most interesting little fruit/vegetable to me and Jeanne called them little tomatoes or green tomatoes. Of course now that I'm older I know they are not green tomatoes, but they pair well with them in green sauces and salsas!

Here is a delicious green sauce to make and add to your Mexican meals or with tortilla chips. Although you probably won't have a problem using it up, please do so within about a week.

Cook all ingredients in a large stockpot over medium-low heat 2 hours or until tomatoes and tomatillos are tender. Cool. Process green tomato mixture, in batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth.

5/23/09

My kids, like most, love cookies. However, not having the time or sometimes just not feeling like whipping up the dough with the mess of four, sugar, butter, etc. that goes into them means that I either had to start buying store-bought cookie dough (yuck - don't usually like the taste) or find another way of providing quick and easy cookies. Since my kids and I love the taste of cake mixes (yes, I've been known to eat the dry mix from the box or just mix a little with water and eat a couple spoons of the batter!) discovering 'cake mix cookies' a few years ago was a good thing for us.

Since then we regularly make chocolate, white and lemon cookies as they are so easy, quick and delicious. This is one for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies - not a favorite of mine as I'm not a fan of peanut butter but everyone else seems to love it!

Almost every woman from the age of 20 on up to Great-Grandma that I know makes this 'salad' in one way, shape or form. No recipe needed and typically none used but sometimes you have to see it in print to 'remind' you of how fresh and well, heavenly this dish is on a warm summer night! The best produce to use is straight from your garden but a farmer's market or yes, even the grocery store will do. The flavor? Terrific. The ease of preparation? You can't beat it!

Basically just drizzle fresh sliced tomatoes and onions with balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil, followed by a sprinkle of salt, pepper, sugar and fresh basil. If you are brand new to this 'recipe' (cough cough) then this written version I found at Southern Living will get you started.

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Arrange tomato and onion slices in rows in a serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped basil, and drizzle evenly with marinade. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon.

5/22/09

All over the country we are firing up the grills and enjoying burgers so it's only fitting the government announces a huge recall of ground beef. Unfortunately because of E Coli complications, small children, the elderly and people with suppressed immune systems can have serious heath risks and even death if they consume under-cooked contaminated meat.

You can kill off E. Coli by cooking but the government has issued a recall on meat from an Illinois plant that you can return if you find your brand and/or label is part of the recall. Here is a copy of the list from the government's website.

Additionally, each product bears the establishment number "EST. 5712" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The (2-1), (3-1), (4-1), (5-1) and (6-1) markings refer to the number of portions per one-pound.

These ground beef products were produced on March 10, 2009, and were distributed to various consignees nationwide.

For those of you who weren't reading my recipe website back in 2006 and 2007 you missed an amazing cole slaw recipe that I consider hands-down the best ever. Now that the warm weather is upon us and summer nights will involved delicious grilled meals and cool side dishes it's time to dig out the salad recipes again. This one is great with everything from fried chicken to hamburgers, to pulled bbq pork to fried fish! There is very little this won't match for a great dinner.

5/20/09

While my family (and I) love love love my own baked beans that I whip up (without a recipe) I use pork and beans, sometimes chili beans too, along with bacon, onion, a little ketchup, mustard, sometimes a few drops of smoked hickory flavoring and always a heap of brown sugar... this recipe (which I think is from Southern Living) is so very similar but instead of the brown sugar they used root beer!

How about planning a bbq in your own back yard and just to make sure you have some root beer to add to the baked beans, I think Root Beer Floats need to be on the menu for dessert! *grin*

Sauté diced onion in hot bacon drippings in skillet over high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir together onion, crumbled bacon, beans, and remaining ingredients in a lightly greased 1-quart baking dish. Bake beans, uncovered, at 400° for 55 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

5/16/09

As I opened my recipe files to update today's article on the website my eyes fell on the amazing cheese balls we had earlier this week... it just so happens that I made them because I was trying to copy an appetizer we had while on vacation. I did manage to 'invent' and by trial and error, copy the oh-so-delicious cheese balls we had while at the beach.

Creamy and filled with cheese you can adjust the amount of jalapeno's used to suit your family's preferences or can adapt it to a cheese and bacon or just a delicious simple cheese ball if you prefer. I'm excited to have made these as the possibilities for adaptation are endless!

This is the photo I took at the restaurant to try to 'copy' when I got home

Homemade Jalapeno Cheese Balls

Play with the ingredients in this recipe. Use different cheeses, leave out the jalapeno, add crumbled bacon, add extra jalapeno, some chipolte, use only cheese but mix in smoked provolone, smoked gouda and cheddar, add chopped shrimp, crab or lobster to make a seafood ball... the possibilities are endless!

5/13/09

About 15 years ago I started to make strawberry shortcake biscuits the 'cheater' way - by using the Grand Style canned biscuits, dipping the bottom and tops in sugar and baking. Considering we had this particular dessert about once or twice a year it worked fine and with three kids under the age of 5 it was perfect for a busy Mom. However... I didn't care for them.

I prefer all my biscuits homemade and my dessert biscuits are no different. I've posted my favorite Southern Style Biscuit recipe on my website here (in the July 2006 archives) and this week I started with that favorite recipe, built on it and came up with the most delicious, fresh, homemade strawberry shortcake biscuits. Delicious!

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. (I do this by putting them into the mixing bowl and whisking them briefly). Add the butter by pinching and breaking off bits of it with your fingers. Cut in with your fingers until crumbly. Add milk, vanilla and sour cream. Stir with a fork until it starts to come together as a dough. Turn to a floured surface, pat into a rectangle and cut with biscuit cutters. Do not twist as this seals the edges and they will not raise. Cut straight down. Place on parchment or ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Spray the tops with a Pam style spray or brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle with sugar immediate after removing from oven. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream and sweetened strawberries.

5/12/09

Even though my friends in Texas and Arizona have been enjoying warm weather for about 3 months now, it's just starting to come to my little corner of the world and boy am I ready to welcome it! With the warm weather also comes some delicious grilled (barbecued some of my might readers might say, depending on where they reside) meals.

With as much grilling as you're likely to do you'll soon find yourself asking; "What can I make with it?" as you quickly tired of the 'same old same old' you always make. So, since I'm getting ready to throw a few steaks on the grill myself, I'm going to brainstorm some ideas. Recipes can be searched for in the search box to your right, in the sidebar. Not only my site, but the entire world wide web if you please.

Grill shrimp, without grill lid, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp from skewers. Serve in warm tortillas topped with lettuces, a creamy Southwestern sauce and some cilantro for garnish. Serve with salsa on the side.

5/11/09

Because I don't typically care for alcoholic drinks there are many drinks, cocktails, punches, etc. that may be quite popular that I've never heard of nor had. One of those 'very popular' drinks is something I finally had for the first time about 6 years ago: Sangria. A light fruity punch that was served at a ladies 'house party'. I enjoyed the red sangria more so than the wine being served and my interest was piqued. Since then I've made it a couple times as well as keeping my eye out for versions I liked better... white sangria's fit the bill. One of my favorites is for a peach white sangria, but when I saw this one that used white wine, strawberries, oranges and orange liqueur as well as carbonated lemon-lime soda I knew it would be a winner.

Add this to your files for later this summer! Cool and refreshing to serve on a warm summer evening... worth adding to your collection!

To make the simple sugar syrup, bring sugar and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes.

Combine sugar syrup, white wine, mint leaves and orange liqueur in a large container; cover and refrigerate 4 hours. Stir in soda and the fruit just before serving. Serve over ice, if desired.

5/7/09

The one I've posted before and typically throw together at the last minute is a popular one that uses canned soup. This one is a little different, a little fresher and oh-so-yummy.

How easy is this!? If you are working and have a child or spouse at home they could throw this together in a heartbeat and pop it into the oven at 5:30 in time for you to get home at 6:00 and with just a few finishing touches have a delicious meal on the table within 10 minutes of walking in the door. Tuck it away into your files like I did... I think this one comes from my all-time favorite; southern living (although I have no idea when it might have originally be published).

5/5/09

Cinco de Mayo! Are you making a Mexican themed dinner tonight? Our family likes a wide variety of foods but one that I know will go over perfectly every time, in almost way, shape or form is... Mexican influenced foods. The kids have been asking for me to make my Chalupa's and special Baja sauce again but I downsized the cookbooks and recipe files I had in the kitchen due to lack of space and packed most of them away. The recipe I usually make and I know everyone raves over is packed away in the storage room somewhere in one of my 6 or 7 boxes of recipes so I haven't made the trek down there to find it yet. However, when I saw this months list of recipes in my Southern Living email newsletter I smiled to see Chalupa's in a Taco Bowl listed.

This one was originally sent in by someone from Oklahoma and published in 2005 but you know me... recipes are GUIDES but not to be followed. This had a bone-in pork loin roast and less than half the flavoring it needed. I tweaked the flavors, used a boneless pork roast and although I listed the RoTel tomatoes to look for at your grocery - if you can't find it then use diced tomatoes and add your own lime and chilies accordingly. Adjust all the spices to your family's preference. Have fun with it!

Rinse and sort beans according to package directions. Place pinto beans in a 6-quart slow cooker; add roast and next 6 ingredients. Pour chicken broth evenly over top of roast.

Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour; reduce to LOW, and cook 6-7 hours. Or, cover and cook on HIGH 5-6 hours. (Crock pots and slow cookers made since about 2000 cook much faster and on a higher heat than older crocks.) Remove bones and fat from roast; pull roast into large pieces with two forks. Stir in diced tomatoes and green chiles. Cook, uncovered, on HIGH 1 more hour or until liquid is slightly thickened.

Heat taco salad shells according to package directions; place shredded lettuce evenly into shells. Spoon about 1 cup pork-and-bean mixture into each shell using a slotted spoon. Serve with desired toppings.

5/4/09

Last night I was in the mood to make a dessert for my family but I had nothing in particular in mind. We didn't have any specialty items on hand but I typically have a well stocked pantry so we had the basics to work with.

I walked to the book shelf and at random chose a cookbook and opened it up. It opened right to the dessert section and in front of me I read; Baked Fudge Dessert. A quick glance at the ingredients told me I probably had all of them. I had to tweak it a bit with cooking times but the end result was gobbled up by my family and even I, who regularly passes by anything chocolate without so much as a glance, snuck the batter and the finished product.

Mix sugar, flour and cocoa in a bowl. Beat in eggs. Add butter, vanilla and nuts. Pour into a glass 9X9" pan (spray only the bottom with non-stick spray, not the sides... or don't spray at all). Fill a large pan with water and set the glass dish in the center of the pan of water. Bake at 300 for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. The center should have the consistency just past a thick custard but will not be as thick or stiff as cake or brownies. It will set up a bit when it cools but is wonderful spooned or scooped out warm with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve scooped out warm or cut into squares when cool.

5/2/09

Today my two daughters and I attended a small reception for the daughter of a very good friend of mine. We enjoyed angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream. My oldest doesn't care for angel food but she reminded me two times this afternoon that she has been craving strawberry shortcake and hoped I would make it soon.

Tonight I was glancing through my recipes when I saw this one I had saved from a loooong time ago. It's originally a Betty Crocker - which of course are always 'keepers'.

Cut cake crosswise into thirds. Place one-third on flat serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup of the frosting. Arrange half of the sliced strawberries on frosting. Repeat with another third of cake, 1/2 cup of the frosting and remaining strawberries. Top with remaining third of cake. Frost side of torte with thin coat of frosting to seal in crumbs, then frost side and top.

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